Work Permit - Before you apply

Work Pass Conditions & Requirements for Construction Sector

• Approved Source Countries/Territories
• Dependency Ceiling/Quota
• Foreign Worker Levy
• Levy Bond
• Employment Contracts of Workers
• Steps before Applying for Work Permit
  • Man-Year Entitlements
  • Prior Approval
  • In-Principle Approval
  • Basic Skills Certification
  • Construction Safety Orientation Course
  • Split CPF Account

Approved source countries/territories

Companies in the construction sector can recruit workers from the following countries/territories:

• Malaysia
• People's Republic of China (PRC)
• Non-Traditional Sources (NTS): India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, The Republic of the Union of Myanmar and Philippines
• North Asian Sources (NAS): Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan.

Dependency ceiling/quota

An employer in the construction sector is allowed to hire seven Work Permit holders for every full-time local employee.

Refer to the Guidelines on Computation of Company's Quota Balance for details.

Foreign Worker levy

The levy rate for Foreign Workers varies across different sectors. Read more to find out about levy rates applicable to the construction sector.

Levy bond

The following categories of employers in the construction sector are required to furnish an additional Security Bond for levy payment (also known as the Levy Bond) for each Foreign Worker employed:

• Employers who have defaulted on levy payments and whose workers' Work Permits are cancelled as a result
• Employers who have been late in levy payments for three times within a 12-month period
• Employers with a change of Sole-Proprietorship
• New construction companies that are:
  (i) Sole-Proprietorships
  (ii) Partnerships
  (iii) Companies with paid-up capital of less than $50,000 applying for Prior Approval to recruit Foreign Workers for the first time

The total value of the Levy Bond will be based on the number of Foreign Workers at the point when the Bond is called for. The Bond can be furnished in the form of Insurance/Banker's Guarantee or Cash.

Generally, the validity and monitoring period for the Levy Bond is 12 months, except for new companies, which is six months.

Employment contracts of workers

Work Permit holders are covered under the Employment Act. All employment contracts should include the basic terms and conditions of the Foreign Workers' employment in Singapore. These terms and conditions should be no less favourable than those provided for under the Employment Act.

Employers who fail to adhere to the Employment Act are liable to be barred from making Work Permit applications in future.

Steps before applying for Work Permit

Employers applying for Work Permits on behalf of foreigners from India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Philippines and People's Republic of China, must make the following applications in the order presented:

1. Man-Year Entitlement (MYE)
2. Prior Approval (PA)
3. In-Principle Approval (IPA) for each Work Permit
4. Purchase Security Bonds

Man-Year Entitlement and Prior Approval are not needed when applying for Work Permits on behalf of foreigners from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan. Employers need only seek In-Principle Approval for foreigners of these nationalities.

Please note:

• Employers are not allowed to bring non-Malaysian foreigners into Singapore before they apply for the Work Permit
• A company must have valid Building Construction Authority (BCA)/Singapore List of Trade Subcontractors (SLOT) Registration Certificate when applying for Prior Approval and/or In-Principle Approval